Ranking of the importance of design parameters on the stability of a bicycle

This paper focuses on the open loop stability of a bicycle. The basic Whipple Carvallo Bicycle Model (WCBM) is improved including the effect of front fork lateral compliance. Experimental tests for the identification of fork properties are presented and discussed. Stability analysis is carried out by means of a MATLAB numerical code. In order to rank design parameters numerical calculations are carried out with the Design Of Experiments (DOE) approach considering two levels of eight design parameters. The effect of design parameters on the autostability range is analysed. Results show that an increased wheelbase decreases stability, whereas increased trail and caster angle improve stability. The forward displacement of the centre of mass of the rear frame increases stability as well.